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Leverkusen reject Helmes reports

Bayer Leverkusen executive Wolfgang Holzhauser has denied the club are trying to sell Patrick Helmes.

By Thomas Zocher

Last Updated: 18/01/11 1:55pm

Bayer Leverkusen executive Wolfgang Holzhauser has denied the club are negotiating the sale of Germany international striker Patrick Helmes.

Reports have suggested that under-pressure Wolfsburg boss Steve McClaren wants to sign the 26-year-old as a replacement for Edin Dzeko following the Bosnian's move to Manchester City.

But despite Helmes' problems in front of goal in the Bundesliga, where he has scored just five times this season, Holzhauser has no plans to talk about a transfer.

Holzhauser told spox.com: "Patrick Helmes is a player of our club and definitely part of our future plans at BayArena, even though he is not having the best of time at our club at the moment.

Great talent

"We have no plans to sell him. We do not intend to ship him off our books."

Earlier in January, Leverkusen signed Germany youth international Karim Bellarabi, 20, from third division side Eintracht Braunschweig on a deal which runs from the end of the season until the June of 2014.